Before I had Strings...
by Final-Fiction
Summary: This is a final fantasy 7 pre-game fic based on Cloud's time with Sephiroth and Zack in Niebelheim, Jenova also features. It is slightly angsty on Sephiroth's part and is curently incomplete; I will be adding more and more eventually. R + R Please!


I decided it would be nice to write a pre-series fic for once, so, this is my feeble first attempt! It's a Final fantasy 7 fic, set during Cloud's youth.  
  
Now the boring stuff: I do not own FF, I never will, I'd like to, but I don't, so don't sue me.  
  
Before I had Strings...  
  
"...Cloud? Cloud, get up. Are you awake Cloud?" Stiffly, Cloud squirmed, feeling the cold hands of his associate poking at his cheek.  
  
"...Mmmfff... Zack...? Get offa me. *Grunt* I ain't asleep, just resting my eyes..." Stirring edgily, Cloud lifted his head, nearly invisible as his mask hid his eyes.  
  
"Zack? You got any tranquillisers? I think I'm about to throw up." Rolling his eyes, Zack reached into his pocket and felt around, glancing over to Cloud, he shook his head stiffly.  
  
"Nu-uh, sorry Cloud, not a thing."  
  
"Oh... well, never mind..." Crouching down, Cloud gripped his stomach tightly and rocked back and forth to try and take his mind off of the travelling vehicle. Zack stepped up to Cloud and lifted the veil of his helmet.  
  
"Why don't you take this off? It'd make a change to see your pretty little boy face in a while!" Zack laughed warmly, it was just a joke, but sure enough, Cloud removed the helmet. Despite his uniform, Cloud really did have a rather feministic look to him.  
  
"O-ok Zack." Cloud looked up at Zack who arched over him as if to make a point of the height difference in rank. In the far corner, quiet mumbling could be heard as a shady figure seemed to be reading co-ordinates to the drivers up front of the vehicle.  
  
"Zack? Quieten down, you're distracting the drivers." The figure glared deeply at Zack, a gentle glow in his eyes dulling the sinister jab that they hit Zack with.  
  
"Awww geez Sephiroth, I'm so excited! I can't sit still!" Zack began to do squats to try and keep himself occupied.  
  
"Well, young Zack, you're hardly setting an example for our younger boys here, calm down or you'll tip the car." Sephiroth glanced at him then manoeuvred his eyes back to the map he held.  
  
"So, Sephiroth, Sir, when do you think we'll get to Nibelheim?" Zack queried, Cloud hastily looking up with a questioning gaze.  
  
"We're going to Nibelheim? That's where I was born..." Cloud shyly added, blushing innocently at the thought of seeing his mother again and of course, a long past friend.  
  
"Hometown, eh? It'll be your first time back in a long time, going to see your family I suppose?" Sephiroth looked over to Cloud, his eyes not as sharp but softer and more encouraging. Zack nudged Cloud's side, winding him slightly,  
  
"Got any special friends, eh Cloudy-boy?" Zack grinned and winked at Cloud, causing Cloud's cheeks to phase bright red.  
  
"O-Of course not... what're you implying? I'm not a player like you are." He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat gripping his helmet tightly to try and relieve the embracement. Zack giggled, much to his own amusement as Cloud tried to hide his face behind his mask.  
  
"Hey hey hey! Don't take it the wrong way Cloud, I'm not pokin' fun at you, it's cute that little `ol you has a girlfriend back home!" Sephiroth shook his head despairingly,  
  
"Will you two kindly shut up before I have you both requisitioned when we get back from this mission? We're nearly there." Sephiroth grinned at the immediate silence that shook the van.  
  
"I want you both to be ready for anything, this area has been classed as extremely dangerous; we are to take great precautions..." Zack and Cloud shuddered as the glow in Sephiroth's eyes seemed to fluctuate and spark with his words.  
  
"I suggest you both just catch up on some sleep whilst on this route, you'll need all your energy." Nodding in agreement, the pair closed their eyes and drifted into a light sleep.  
  
It hadn't been two hours worth of sleep when the vehicle shook with some great force. Jumping to alert, Sephiroth hastily awoke Zack, who at this time was snoring and deep in sleep.  
  
"Zack, get your lazy ass in gear and get outside now!" Sephiroth growled angrily, Zack, only half awake stiffly propping himself up against the inside wall of the vehicle.  
  
"What, *yawn* wha' time is it Sir? We there yet?" Zack stumbled on his words as Sephiroth picked him up by the collar of his shirt,  
  
"When I tell you to get up, you get up! Now, get up!" Sephiroth began to deeply anger, losing his usually cool composition.  
  
"Ok ok ok, I'm moving." Picking up his broadsword, Zack edged towards the door, Sephiroth was already out in battle stance, looking very impatient. Zack paused in his next step; he seemed to freeze as he took in the vision that fell before him...  
  
"That, is one huge mutha of a dragon..." He gazed at the beast in awe, from its feet, to its head, at least 30 feet height wise. Is it possible to kill that? He questioned himself. Before he could think further, he made a short-lived realisation, that dragon, whatever species and description it was, was looking straight at him.  
  
"Um... Sephiroth, sir? This, isn't good, is it?" However, Sephiroth didn't seem to notice his student, almost as if Zack was purely bait to drag his mind away from Sephiroth's presence.  
  
Taking his sword firm in his grasp, Zack flew at the gigantic beast, hoping that his strength was immense enough to take it out, surely, that would impress even Sephiroth? Zack struck the creature with what seemed to be great force, and yet, there seemed to be no effect! Angrily, the dragon retaliated; washing Zack with a shower of blue and orange flames, knocking out cold.  
  
"Tch, idiot." Sephiroth mumbled inwardly. Glaring coldly at dragon, he approached with a massive degree of speed, slashing the scales of the creature, blood oozing down the beasts limbs. Roaring and flailing it's head in pain, it again, used a flame attack to try and annihilate it's opponent... No effect, at all. Sephiroth seemed to be immune to pain, of any sort! He was completely inhuman as far as strength seemed to pass, and with one mighty swipe, he took the beast out and watched it disintegrate and melt into the soil.  
  
"Zack? Zack are you alright?" Cloud dabbed at Zack's forehead with a cloth, trying to make him feel better. The innocent look on Cloud's face never seemed to wash away; it always made Zack feel better for some reason. Sitting up uncomfortably, he smiled weakly at Cloud, feeling full of embracement for his earlier stunt. Sephiroth coughed into his hand, trying to get their attention.  
  
"Men, we're there. I want you in full uniform and ready for anything. Zack? I want you to rest at the inn. Cloud, I'll discuss your free time once we're out."  
  
Everyone shuffled out of the vehicle and fell into formation at the gateway of the miniscule town. Looking around at the old buildings, Sephiroth felt his heart leap in his chest, as something very familiar seemed to daunt him about this quiet little location.  
  
"Cloud? This is your first time home in a very long time."  
  
"Um, I'm sixteen, so, it's been, roughly 3 years, sir."  
  
"Well, feel free to visit your family for the rest of today. Zack, you're going to stay at the inn and rest your injuries whilst I keep guard. As for you other two, feel free to do as you wish."  
  
Sephiroth nodded giving everyone the signal they'd been anticipating to run freely. Slowly, Cloud edged into the town, looking hard and long at every building, checking every detail to make sure nothing had changed. Smiling contentedly, he paced up to a tiny house well hidden in the far corner of the town. He pulled on the handle to see if the door was open, not surprisingly, it was, Heh, mom never did think much of home security in such a small nowhere town like this, Cloud chortled. Stepping quietly inside, he snuck up behind a petite woman who was tending her stove. Her blonde hair reached her shoulders in a plait and her apron didn't seem to age her.  
  
"... Mom?" Cloud innocently murmured. The woman turned slowly, as if she feared to see a ghost behind her. The fear on her face hastily became great joy as she ran up to him and hugged him tightly, almost so much so that he couldn't breathe!  
  
"Cloud!! Oh my boy! You're home!!"  
  
"Yeah mom, I'm home..."  
  
The day seemed to pass unnoticeably as the sun arched over the mountains and began to sink into the hillside. Still Sephiroth's shadow remained in the window of Nibelheim's inn, although the shadow seemed to be cast over the whole town. Only the gentle glow of his eyes appeared to light the dark valley. Sighing deeply as he stared longingly at the huge Shin-ra mansion, he looked at his palms, then at Cloud as he padded through the door trying not to disturb sleeping Zack.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, Sir. My mom wanted to do a lot of catching up. You know how families get carried away, heh." Cloud blushed girlishly, trying to hide his embracement. Sephiroth smiled at him, something rare to Cloud's knowledge.  
  
"Um, what's so funny sir?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just that I never really knew my father, and as for my mother, I believe she was a woman called Jenova, but I don't really remember her. She died when I was still very young." Sephiroth's tone of voice was far from his usually cool collective self, almost as if there were a deep regret in his voice.  
  
"Well sir, if it makes you feel any better, I never knew my father either, he died when I was born. Mom copes on her own, but she's finding it harder without me." Cloud's gaze shifted to the moon over the hilltops, the stars were so beautiful, awe inspiring to Sephiroth who had rarely been in the countryside to witness their presence.  
  
"Cloud? Get some rest, you'll need all your energy for tomorrow; we're going up to Mako reactor to neutralise the problem." Sephiroth's face returned to its unusual harsh and icy manor almost as if it had never had a smile on it. Nodding, Cloud shuffled over to his bunk and undressed before getting under his quilt and silently dozing off.  
  
Sighing deeply, Sephiroth stared up at the night sky through the window, his heart crying for home, but, as far as he knew, he had no hometown.  
  
The sun surged in between the break of the curtains onto Cloud's eyes, hastily interrupting his slumber. Groaning, he sat slowly up and stretched his arms out over his head; his muscles over tense. Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed deeply, and glanced over to Zack who was still heavily in sleep.  
  
"I wish I understood my own dreams." Cloud shook his head slightly trying to shake away the sleep and dreariness.  
  
"Oh, you're awake. I was about to shake you to get you up. We've got a long day ahead." Sephiroth's murky figure drew in like a vague pencil sketch on the corner of a book; only the distinct outline or his body was clear.  
  
"Oh, sir, I'm sorry, I'll get ready immediately!" Cloud fumbled as he fell out of his bed and paced up to Zack, who was half on the bed, and half off the bed.  
  
"Z-Zack, we gotta go. Uh, uh, get ready, ok?" Zack groaned deeply paying nearly no attention, much to Cloud's obvious dismay. Sephiroth seemed very distant. His gaze was far away from that of Cloud or Zack, or either of the other escorts.  
  
"Get a move on, Soldier, we're already late! We are to meet with our guide outside the old Shin-ra mansion." The depth of his voice hung coldly in the minds of the boys' ears. Zack hastily rethought his position and leapt abruptly from the bed.  
  
"Zack, reporting and ready for duty, Si----r!" in his sudden haste he fell from the bed, tangled in the sheets, he landed with a thud. Cloud began to giggle girlishly at his friend's antics and came to sharp halt when he remember why this was happening in the first place; Sephiroth was in the room. Coughing into his fist, Sephiroth met with Zack's gaze briefly out of the corner of his eye forcing a difficult lump down the hollows of Zack's tightened throat. Grunting, Sephiroth excused himself from the room and made his way outside into the open.  
  
"Ok, everyone! The trek up this hill is going o be a tough hike, but you're strong Soldiers so you'll probably be alright!" A young brunette woman enthusiastically rallied together Sephiroth and his two escorts. Her long, dark hair fluttered slightly with the gentle breeze as she hopped up and down excitedly.  
  
"This little girl is our guide?! One of the escorts questioned, an air of aggravation in his voice. Snarling slightly, Sephiroth turned to him, "You'd rather the old man take us instead?" He raised his eyebrow to the escort causing the escort to make a hasty withdrawal.  
  
"Well, no sir, I meant, I just, uh, I'm sorry sir, please excuse me." At this moment, Zack appeared, Cloud hidden behind his masculine figure.  
  
"Anyway, I haven't introduced myself yet; I'm Tifa Lockhart and I'm your mountain tour guide for this hike!" Tifa was an attractive young girl, aged sixteen with no purpose in life and no direction for a career, but light-hearted and always ready for the unexpected. It seemed these next couple of days; that talent would be useful.  
  
Meantime, Cloud and Zack gazed in awe at her beauty. Zack nudged Cloud playfully, "If this is the chick you were blushing about, man, she's a babe, why blush?! I'm surprised she ain't mine!!" Zack drooled mentally whilst Cloud began to once again blush. She's become so beautiful over the last few years...Feels like forever.   
  
"Cloud!!" Cloud's thought train became derailed as a feathery female voice shoved it from its tracks. "Cloud! It's been so long! How are you? You got your dream huh? You're accompanying Sephiroth!" Tifa smiled gently at Cloud, she giggled quietly and poked his cheek, "You're to see me, ne? You're cheeks are pink!" Tifa shuffled her field of vision from Cloud to Zack, lifting her head to make eye contact with him. "You're Soldier Zack, right? I've heard stories of you. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm your guide, Tifa." Smiling still, she raised her hand and was greeted by Zack's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Tifa." He grinned subconsciously and winked at Cloud.  
  
A great echo suddenly shook the village and Sephiroth's voice made earth move as he beckoned the three juniors to him.  
  
"Right, let's move. Guide, lead the way." As Sephiroth started his way up the valley trek, a middle aged man, Tifa's father, cried out to him for his attention.  
  
"Mr. Sephiroth, sir?! Could I ask one favour? Could I have a photograph with you, Tifa and the soldier there, please?" Sephiroth sighed and trudged back to his previous position afoot the hill, Tifa and Zack accompanying him for the picture.  
  
"Now, say cheese!" He called out, the flash temporarily blinding the villagers. "Thank you sir!" Tifa's father eagerly returned to his home to develop the pictures as the group headed up Mt. Nibel to the Mako reactor, rather unsure of what was awaiting them.  
  
The journey was tough and during the climb; one escort was lost as the Nibel rope bridge collapsed beneath the group's weight, and the mountains were dangerously over filled with monsters of all breeds. The Nibel mountain range was the kind of destination you'd go looking for trouble; each mountain top crowned with a thorn-like tiara, the mists surrounding were thick and heavy, and the air was cold and damp.  
  
Tifa lead the group into a cave at the side of the tallest peak, the caves were like a network of humanised ant tunnels; each one dripping and glowing with Mako energy. She paused to admire the huge room they entered; the stalactites and stalagmites lit the room with their leafy glows causing much fuss among the remaining members of the group. Sephiroth stood before them and took the attention away from the Mako created network.  
  
"These walls glow because they are oozing with Mako energy, the energy which the reactor drains." Sephiroth had a monotone voice whilst on this subject, as if he'd had to say it a thousand times a before. Tifa nodded in agreement and took the position beside him.  
  
"These caves are like human sized ant colony routes; each one leading somewhere new. The walls glow such an eerie colour, rich with the Mako which makes these mountains so infamous." Taking a further step to regain her lead, Tifa motioned on, leading the group into a small room, in the centre of which, a turquoise aura seemed to give rise.  
  
"This is a Mako pool, isn't it beautiful? To think that one day the Mako reactor will drain this pool dry seems to be such a pity, it is truly a thing of natural beauty." Tifa sighed heavily as once again, Sephiroth ended her poetic flair will his monotone drab.  
  
"Indeed, a thing of beauty, but let's not hang around, there are monsters everywhere."  
  
Blankly, Sephiroth regained his lead of the group and began to walk on, leading them almost blindly as his eyes never looked away from directly before him.  
  
The Mako reactor looked miniscule in comparison to those of Midgar city in the East. In Midgar, the huge chimney-like towers seemed to consume the sky and shadow the village, but reactor number five in Nibelheim was tiny, or so it looked from the outside. "The reactor here at Nibelheim is number five. It draw out the Mako energy from the mountains and turns it into a power source for the towns and cities in the area." Tifa sounded highly professional in her tone, until of course, Sephiroth's over powering echo added his piece to the matter. "And, as you know, it's down to the great scientists of Shin-ra inc. that we are lucky enough to possess this great energy and use it for such purposes." Tifa sighed; she couldn't seem to win. So much for being the guide of a group who's leader knew it all already!  
  
"Um, yes sir, that's why everyone in our town is so grateful to Shin-ra." That statement was an obvious lie. Putting on a fake smile, Tifa pointed out that the building seemed relatively safe and began to take her first steps up the walkway of the building. "Sorry, you cannot enter, strictly Shin-ra employees only. There are many of Shin-ra's secrets in these buildings." Angrily, Tifa stomped her foot and demanded her admittance, after all, she was the guide! "You! Protect the girl whilst we're inside." Sephiroth nodded to Cloud, causing Cloud to panic as he couldn't let Tifa find out he was only a regular soldier, and not a first class soldier as he's always told her he would be. Hastilly, Cloud paced over to the stairwell and blocked Tifa's entrance to the reactor. "NOT FAIR!!" Tifa yelled, stomping her foot again in a huff whilst Cloud began to sweat with fear. Oh God, please don't let her find out who I am... Cloud thought deeply.  
  
Meanwhile, inside of the reactor, Sephiroth began checking the Mako tanks for faults, inspecting the valves and carefully checking the pipes. A door, at the far end of the room was labelled elegantly, "J-E-N-O-V-A", Sephiroth barely glanced at it, Just a coincidence... He thought. Upon his inspection, he came to an abrupt halt. "Zack? I found the reason the reactor hasn't been functioning correctly." Calmly, Sephiroth beckoned Zack over to him.  
  
"What was it Sephiroth, sir?" Zack gazed questioningly at Sephiroth, his response was a nod at the window of a tank. "What? Do you want me to look, sir?"  
  
Sephiroth's glare intensified. "Take a look Zack, find out for yourself what the fault is." Curiously, Zack gripped the pane of the tank's glass viewer and hoisted himself upwards, only to fall back in shock. "HOLY CRAP! What the hell is that!?" Zack picked himself up off of the floor and dusted himself down. Bowing his head, Sephiroth turned away from Zack and began explaining.  
  
"He's a human being, just like you and I."  
  
"What!? That's a human!?"  
  
"Yes. He's been treated with Mako. Just as you and I were. However, rather than having been showered with it, like you and I, he's subjected to a great degree more, soaked in it, and this is the result."  
  
Zack tried to speak, his mouth open, no words came, just empty silence in their place.  
  
"Was I created the same way?" Sephiroth whispered. Zack took a sudden breath upon these words. Why would Sephiroth worry about being made that way?  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Ever since I was a child, I knew I was different. Not just stronger, but smarter, and, special." Sephiroth avoided Zack's eyes, his mind lost to these suggestions.  
  
"But, Sephiroth, sir, you're not the same!" Zack tried desperately to comfort Sephiroth, he didn't know if these suggestions were possibly realities, but he knew that if Sephiroth became angry, he wouldn't live long enough to find out.  
  
"Am I no different from these monster!?" Sephiroth began to break into hysterics, this was getting worse and worse. Nothing Zack could possibly do or say would end Sephiroth's rage. The door, Jenova's door. It brought more anger. Sephiroth didn't know why, but looking to it brought feelings of pain and distress. As his anger got the better of him, he raced up to the door, closely followed by Zack.  
  
"Sephiroth!! Stop now!!" Zack drew his sword and raised it as he caught up with Sephiroth.  
  
"Sephiroth! I can't let you go into that room!"  
  
"Just try and stop me." Sephiroth grabbed the blade edge of Zack's sword and with one mighty thrust, threw Zack and his sword down the stairwell and into several of the tanks, knocking him out cold.  
  
A shrill cry arose from one of the corridors of the great reactor as Tifa emerged angry and tearstained from the shadowy doorway.  
  
"You killed my Pa! I'll never let you get away with that!" 


End file.
